News / Egypt

Egypt court postpones verdict on Morsi espionage verdict

Saturday, 23 April 2016 3:03 PM [ Last Update: Saturday, 23 April 2016 3:01 PM ]

Egypt’s ousted President Mohamed Morsi is seen during his trial at the police academy on the outskirts of the capital, Cairo, on April 23, 2016. (AFP photo)

An Egyptian court has postponed the pronouncement of its verdict in the trial of ousted President Mohamed Morsi on charge of spying for Qatar, saying it needs more deliberations.

On Saturday, the head judge of the criminal court in Cairo said the verdict was postponed to “May 7 to continue consultations.”

Morsi and 10 co-defendants are charged with leaking “classified documents” to Qatar.

The documents allegedly contained secrets on “national security,” and were purportedly traded with Qatari intelligence for a million dollars.

If he is convicted it would be Morsi's fourth sentence. He has already been sentenced in three separate trials to death, a life term and 20 years in prison.

Morsi along with 105 others were sentenced to death in May 2015 for a mass prison break in 2011 during the country’s popular uprising that led to the overthrow of long-time dictator Hosni Mubarak.

He has already appealed a 20-year prison term handed down to him on April last year on charges of involvement in the arrests and torture of protesters during his one-year rule, which came to an end by a military coup led by the former army chief and current President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi in July 2013.

Since the 2013 ouster of Morsi, the military-backed government in Cairo has launched a heavy-handed crackdown on his supporters and the country’s disbanded opposition group Muslim Brotherhood.

The clampdown has led to the death of more than 1,400 people and the arrest of 22,000 others.

Press TV’s website can also be accessed at the following alternate addresses:

www.presstv.co.uk